David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator McKim, I move:

At the end of the motion, add:

"and, in respect of:

(a) the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment Bill 2026, the provisions of the bill be referred immediately to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 8 May 2026;

(b) the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission Bill 2026 and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (National Policing Information Charges) Bill 2026, the provisions of the bills be referred immediately to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 11 August 2026;

(c) the Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Approval of Overseas Service) Bill 2020, the bill be referred immediately to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 29 June 2026; and

(d) the Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026, the provisions of the bill be referred immediately to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 31 March 2026".

Isn't this extraordinary? We are now four weeks into your war of choice—the Labor, One Nation and Liberal war of choice—in the Middle East, the war of choice that is being felt across the Middle East with thousands of deaths and wide-scale destruction. It is being felt across the world with economic chaos, and it's being felt in homes across this country. Australians across this country right now are paying the price for Labor, the coalition and One Nation—the war parties—championing this war of choice by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, and you don't even have the guts to have a hearing into a war powers bill that would give the parliament and the Australian public a say before you go into your next disastrous US forever war.

Let's be clear about what's behind this. Australians across the country are worried about whether they're going to be able to fill up their petrol tanks. They're worried about the cost of it. They are desperately concerned about what it means for their jobs. They are worried about whether, over Easter, they will be able to go down and visit family and friends, because they may not be able to fill up their petrol tanks to get back. They are worried about the world spiralling into chaos. They're deeply concerned about the deaths they're seeing in the Middle East. And do you know whose interests the Albanese Labor government took into account? No doubt there was a phone call between the Prime Minister and Donald Trump.

I wonder if they mentioned Donald Trump's thousands and thousands of mentions in the Epstein files in that phone call. Whose national interest is being advanced here? It is not the interests of the Australian people. The Albanese government is betraying the Australian people because they're siding with Donald Trump, a mate of Jeffrey Epstein. They're siding with Benjamin Netanyahu, who's running a war to get re-elected. They're putting the interests of those two vile men ahead of the interests of Australians.

They're throwing our economy into chaos. They're throwing people out of work. They're doing this all because the Labor Party, One Nation and the coalition put the interests of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the interests of the Australian people, who elected them to this place not to serve the interests of the one per cent, not to serve the interests of Donald Trump and not to serve the interests of Bejamin Netanyahu. You're meant to be serving the interests of the Australian people. Is it any wonder you don't want them to have a say on whether we go to war, because you're going to war for the one per cent. You're going to war for the fossil fuel companies, who are making record profits. You're going to war for Donald Trump and the Epstein class. You're going to war for Benjamin Netanyahu so he can get re-elected in Israel. And you do not give a rat's about the interests of the Australian people. It is an obscene betrayal that we are seeing.

When people across the country are wondering if they're going to be able to afford to fill up their car, wondering if their job is going to be secure, wondering why this is happening to them, the answer is: because Labor has a phone call with Donald Trump, where Prime Minister Albanese gets on the phone with Donald Trump and says, 'How can we help? How can we support you?' because Donald Trump is of more interest—keeping him happy, making sure he doesn't get angry and maybe cancels AUKUS or maybe says mean things about us. That's who you put ahead of the Australian people.

So is it any wonder you—the three war parties—are joining up now to prevent this bill, which, if it got through, would make sure the parliament had to have a say before you joined the next Trump war? Is it any wonder we're seeing the three war parties join up to vote against it? I see you at different times wrapping yourself in the Australian flag and pretending you care about Australia. Why don't you just wrap yourselves in the US flag, wrap yourselves in whatever present Benjamin Netanyahu gives you or wrap yourselves up in whatever the one per cent are giving you to betray the country like this?

It is an obscene betrayal of ordinary Australians because you are frightened of Donald Trump—or maybe actually it's worse than that: you identify with him; you identify with the one per cent who he supports; you identify with the fossil fuel companies that are making record profits. It is appalling how you betray this country. (Time expired)